Record #00427Space archive
Oldest Known Star
HD 140283, the Methuselah star, is a prominent contender for the oldest known star. A 2025 asteroseismic model estimated 14.2 ± 0.4 billion years, whereas a 2024 tailored-abundance model estimated about 12.3 billion years; its absolute ranking remains uncertain.
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Overview
Archive NoteHD 140283 is a metal-poor halo subgiant whose chemical composition and orbit offer evidence about early stellar populations.
A 2024 tailored-abundance model estimated 12.3 billion years, while a 2025 asteroseismic study inferred 14.2 billion years. The latter is consistent with the Universe's age within its quoted uncertainty, but systematic uncertainties may be larger.
Record history
1 Milestones- 14.2 ± 0.4 billion yearsHD 140283Current Record
Sources
Evidence & ReferencesVerification basis and limitations
Evidence-backedCredible sources support core facts; the comparison scope or corroboration remains incomplete.
Basis: corroborating reliable secondary materials
NASA has highlighted HD 140283 among very old stars with well-constrained ages, and Guinness has a record listing it as the oldest star in the Milky Way. Neither establishes an uncontested oldest-star ranking across all known stars. A 2025 study estimates 14.2 ± 0.4 billion years; a 2024 model estimates about 12.3 billion.
Comparison boundaries still under review
The record-holder attribution is an institution's claim, not a definitive ranking of every star. Age estimates vary substantially with abundance and asteroseismic models, and the 2025 formal uncertainty does not capture all systematics.
- Verification assessment
- 2026-11-07
- Last editorial review
- 2026-11-07
Current Entry identifies the current entry in this archive; it does not establish that the record is still held today.
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